Method and torch for burning liquid fuel



Feb. 18, 1936. H. G. HUGHEY METHOD AND TORCH FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL Filed Jan. 51, 19:3

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lgvEufrb:

ATTORNE Feb. 18, 1936. H. GJHUGHEY I 3 METHOD AND TORCH FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL Filed Jan. 31, 19:3

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVE TAO, K41 4512 2,

r ATTQRNEW Patented Feta-1'8, 193s 1 UNITED *STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD mg e n BURNING Howard a. may. Irvington,

Company.

Air Reduction Incorporated,

' York, N. Y. a corporation of New York Application January :1, 1933, Serial No. 054,371 12 Claims. (Cl. Isa-27.4)

in order to get a mixture serviceable for cutting,

The invention relates to the art of heating, cut- .ting, burning and welding metals with torches in which fuel is mixed with oxygen in order to obtain a flame of high temperature. The inventionis particularly applicable in connection with cutting torches, ouging torches, rivet-burning torches, and the lke, in which flames preheat the metal and assist an oxygenstream in making the cut or in removing metal by rapid oxidation.

Torches which burn a mixture of oxygen and fuel gas, either. acetylene or some other, are well known and are in wide use. Some torches, more especially cutting torches, have been designed with a view to utilizing a liquid fuel, such as gasoline, but, as far as I am aware, their performance has been considerably less satisfactory than that of oxy-gas torches.

How to produce asatisiactory mixture ofthe oxygen and fuel and to obtain stable and eifec- 2o tive flames thatwillfulflll the exacting requirements of metal cutting operations, and also to secure a torch that is simple and inexpensive to make and practical and convenient-in is naturally-more diflicult with liquid fuel/than it is with gaseous fuel. My investigations have led me to believe that defects not clearly understood have been more or less inherent in former torches of the oxy liquid-fuel class. It is true that some of these torches have appeared to function well within strictly limited conditions, and

indeed I have found that some oxy-gas (oxyacetylene) torches when supplied with liquid instead of with gaseous fuel will work if the conditions are,favorable. f

In all former liquid fuel'torches with which I am familiar, heating of the fuel has been an important factor. have been considered, but, if attempted, it seems to have been more of a coarse and irregular breaking up than atomization. Itis ,to be assumed that there would be some vaporization of a liquid fuel in an oxygen stream, but the dependance seems to have been on heating to va rlzethe fuel in order to obtain a combustible mixture usable for .the particular purpdse. I have'ascertalned that vaporization by heating is undesirable as a supplement; to breaking of the liquid, or otherwise. I find that 'it is imnecessary to try to obtain a dry vapor mixture. Retorting the .50 liquid itself to generate a vapor or gas,-which is subsequently mixed with the oxygen. involves special operating difficulties.

Heating an aggregate-of oxygen and irregularly large and small particles of liquid, together with 66 vapor of the fuel, by special heating provisions,

is relied upon the flow is low,

Atomizati'onof the liquid may or even for less exacting metal poses, does not give good results.

N. J., assignor to New working pur- A torch in which the mixture is specially-Heated requires continual adjustment of the flames by manipulat- 5 ing the oxygen and fuel valves, and this is not only troublesome,

but an excessive amount of oxygen is consumed, superior cutting is'difllcult to.- achieve, and the over-all time for a cutting operation is too great. A particular difliculty 10 is that the flames can not be adjusted for different heating powers within a suflicient range.

A cutting torch, or a particular cutting tip in a torch, to be commercially useful must not be restricted to a rather precise thickness of metal 15 to be cut. It must be capable of reasonable range of thicknesses, reasonable economy.

operating on a with speed and It must also have a quick preheating time, before the start of the cut, and

must give good speed and be as economical as 20 possible in oxygen after the cut is started and while it is carried to the conclusion.

when heating of the oxygen and fuel together to improve a poor mixture, drops or slugs of liquid fuel will, except under precise 25 and exceptional conditions, come out of the preheating flame orifices. These falling on the hot metal are immediately expanded ing a much into gas *hav greater volume,than the liquid,

which interferes with the cutting operation and 30 causes momentary blowing away of the flames. For the greatest uniformity and stability of the preheating flames possible with such torches, the gasoline and oxygen flow is too critical. If

there is not enough veloclty'in 35 the oxygen stream tobreak up the gasoline sufflciently, and

consequently some free liquid is passed through the tip;

If the flow is high, there is not suflicient time for vaporization, so that again liquid emerges the greater flows lower the temperature of the tip while burning, and thus reduce the vaporization. It appears to be a weakness of liquid-fuel from the tip. .Moreover, 40'

torches requiring or involving considerable heating of the mixture that; when the gasoline flow 4 is the highest and the most heat is required to vaporize it, there is less heating.

In general, torches that operate on this heating principle tend to give agood deal of trouble because of continual fluctuation and changing characteristics of the heating flames. This be due to variations in' also to stream. Heating since even small ay the heating 01' the tip,

on and oil. of the'cuttingbxygen causes the flames to change variations in the division or the liquid carried into the heating zone result in relatively large variations in the flame, and any comparatively large portion of liquid causes mucli'disturbance.

The objects of this invention are to provide a new method for the utilization of liquid fuel in metal working with flame and to make improvements in liquid-fuel torches to remedy defects such as have been indicated, and to provide an implement that satisfies practical requirements. Among the advantages that have been sought are stability and constancy of the oxygen-fuel ratio at any adjustment, elimination of the necessity of frequent adjustment of the valves controlling the streams of liquid fuel and preheating oxygen, capability of the torch ofa wide range of flame adjustment to give the maximum flame as well as the minimum flame that may be required, at any desired oxygen-fuel ratio, shortness of preheating time, excellence and rapidity of cutting, without interruptions, and economy of fluids, more especially the oxygen, including that delivered through the cutting jet as well as the oxygen consumed in the flames. These ends are attained without the requirement of outwardly or specially applied heat to vaporize the liquid. Best results are obtained without such heating. It will be evident that some degree of heating may be unavoidable, and it should also be understood that advantages may be realized by using features of the invention even though some heating may be employed or may not be avoidable.

A further object is to provide tions that are well adapted for manufacture, compact and easy to handle.

The objects of the invention are secured by virtue of the novel method, and the principles of construction, relation and operation, illustrative and preferred embodiments for the application of which will now be described. 7

vIn the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof:

Fig. 1 isa side view of a liquid-fuel cutting torch, shown principally in longitudinal section, with two portions intermediate the ends broken out, this torch being an embodiment of the invention-in which primary and secondary mixers for the oxygen and liquid fuel are organized in one body, and located just forward of the handle;

Fig. 2 is a complete side elevation of this torch and its tip on a smaller scale;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, with parts broken away, of a torch in which the primary mixer is located as in Figs. 1 and 2, while the secondary mixer is in the torch head;

Fig. 5 is a view that may be termed a top plan of the head portion of this torch;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 'l is a section taken on the line 'I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a section taken Fix. '7; and

Fig. 9 isa fragmentary view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of another embodiment of the invention having the secondary mixer in the tip.

From a description of certain embodiments of the improved liquid-fuel torches, the method, for

on the line 8-8 of efficiency of the flames,

torch construc- .to the torch, one for cutting which these torches are illustrative aids, will be understood.

Figs. 1 to 3 will be described first. It may be stated that the various torches selected for illustration are hand torches, but that the invention is, of course, equally applicable to and with machine torches, the form of which would be somewhat different.

A torch such as illustrated has a handle, grip or stock -portoin 2, which usually comprises a cylindrical casing 3, with front and rear blocks l, 5 secured in it. The rear block has two hose connections 6 and I, which are sufliciently representative of means for supplying high-pressure oxygen and means for supplying liquid fuel'to the torch. The source of supply of the liquid fuel is one that delivers the liquid to the torch under pressure or head, and for best results the pressure on the liquid should be constant. Pressure fuel tanks'being known, it is unnecessary to illustrate this adjunct.

The supply connections 6, I are connected, through ducts in the block 5, with oxygen and fuel pipes 8, 9, respectively, which extend inside the handle from the block 5 to the block 4. In this latter block there is a duct l0 that conducts the liquid fuel to a tube H, which connects with a mixer body I! a little forward of the handle.

The oxygen'stream is shown as being split in a manner well-known in two-hose" cutting torches. Needless to say, however, the threehose plan may flows of oxygen, one for the cutting jet and one for the preheating mixture, are delivered to the torch. In the drawings, the oxygen passes from the pipe 8 to a valve-chamber H in the block 4. This valve chamber contains a spring-seated valve element I5, opening of which by a trigger it and thrust-rod I1 will permit a stream of cutting oxygen to flow by way of ducts I8 and I! to a pipe, this pipe extending from the handle to the head 22 of the torch.

The other oxygen stream or branch passes by or around the cutting oxygen valve just mentioned, through a duct 23, equipped with a needle valve or similar adjusting valve 24 to a tube 25, which connects with the mixer body II. This mixer body may be supported in part by the oxygen pipe II. An oxygen-fuel mixture pipe 21 connects the mixer body with the head 22.

A principle of this invention involves the mixing of oxygen and fuel in two stages, in a manner which will be described, in order to obtain with liquid fuel a mixture suitable for the purposes of a cutting torch or the like. It has been stated that, in accordance with known practice, there might be two separate supplies of oxygen and one for preheating. Carrying this further, though the multiplication of hoses and supplies would be very undesirable, three separate flows of oxygen, one for cutting, one for the primarymixer and one for the secondary mixer, might conceivably be led into the torch. It is a novel and advantageous feature of the torches represented in the drawings that a preheating oxygen stream is split within the torch, one part of this oxygen going to -the,primsry mixer and the other to the secondary mixer. Thus, in the preferred embodiments of my invention-a main oxygen stream is divided in the torch to give a cutting flow and a pre-heating flow, and this preheating oxygen stream is again divided.

In the specific construction shown in Fig. 1,

the preheating oxygen from tube it enters be used, in which two separate through a port 29 into a cross-connection passage 30 in the mixer body i2. One end of this passage communicates with a narrow or constricted annular passageway 3| of the primary mixer 32, this passageway 3i serving as a metering port controlling the proportion of the preheating oxygen thatcoacts with the fuel in the first stage of atomization and mixing. The metering passageway Si is formed between the end of a nozzle and the end of a socket in the primary mixer portion of this nozzle is screwed or otherwise accurately set.

The liquid fuel from the tube ii enters a distributing channel 36 around this nozzle and,

' screw-threaded -the reduction in pressure,

throughports 31, flows into the interior .of the nozzle. A fuel-adjusting needle valve 38 has engagement with the inside of the nozzle and is adjustable by means of a knob 39 on the rear end of the stem that extends through a gland l0 and cap 4!. The end of this valve is vclose to an orifice 42 in the forward end oi .the nozzle. The fuel is sprayed or atomized into a passage 43 extending forwardly from. the The primary mixture oxygen gains passageway, 1

orifice 42. this passage through the annular with the result that the sprayed into from the sides into the fuel spray. Mixing and atomization take place at this point and mixing continues in daily uniformatomization is secured, and it is to be noted that, while good mixing is eflected,

gasoline or other fuel is nevertheless the plan is such that the mixture of oxygen and fine liquid particles is surrounded by oxygen as the mixture flows onward. In other words. by breaking up the liquid and injecting it into the center of the oxygen stream, the oxygen around the outside of the mixture stream protects the fine liquid particles from the metal surface of the bore 43, in consequence of which little tendency exists for the liquid to deposit on such surfaces. of a passage it forms relatively large drops, which are carried forward as non-atomized fuel and resuit in fluctuation of the flames.

The secondary mixer of the torch is preferably of a type in which ahlgh-velocity jet of one fluid has an entraining action on the other fluid, through a lowering of pressure. An advantage results from the combination of such a secondary mixer with the primary mixer, which is that, with the vapor tension is also reduced, and this in conjunction with the high velocity of the oxygen stream results not' only in excellent mixing but in vaporizing much of the liquid in the particles. This is particularly useful if a fuel is used which is not highly volatile.

As shown in Fig. 1, the mixing passage 43 of the primary mixer delivers a stream of oxygen and minute liquid fuel particles to a chamber or space 45, where an oxygen jet is delivered from the orifice 45 of a nozzle 41 in line withfia throat 48 of larger area, through which the augmented mixture passes to the pipe 21 and thence to the head 22 of the torch. The nomle l! is screwed into a socket in the secondary mixer portion of the body i2, this socket being closed, at the back by a plug 50. 'I'he'high-velocity stream of-oxygen delivered from 'theoriflce 48 issupplled from the body I 2, into which the oxygen, orthe oxygen is jetted the passage 43. Fine and substan If liquid deposits onthe surface the valve II- to vary the flow support the combustion of the fuel at high temperatureis introduced into the original mixture, or vice-versa,- is advantageousin itself. Nor, in this combination, is it absolutely necessary that the primary mixer be one that injects the fuel into the center of the oxygen stream, though experience indicates that not only is the atomization better when the fuel is introduced at the center rather than at the side in this stage, but also that there is marked freedom from difliculties caused by liquid particles coalescing on the walls of the passages.

It has not been thought necessary to illustrate the internal construction of the head 22 and tip .49 of the torch of Figs. 1 and 2 in detail, since such matters are familiar to those skilled in the art. Suflice it to saythat oxygen from thepipe 20 is delivered through the cutting jet orifice 52' of the tip, while the combustible mixture .of fuel and oxygen issues from the preheating flame orifices 53. The fuel in this issuing mixture is partly in the vapor phase and partly in the liquid phase, the latter phase being represented by exceedingly fine, well dispersed droplets. As previously indicated, the invention is not necessarily to be considered asexclusive of the use of heating to convert the liquid phase .the excellent atomization and mixing and the provisions to prevent or minimize deposition onthe surfaces of passages present in the torches of this invention, there would be the least tendency for heating to result in flame fluctuation. I have ascertained that when a uniform, mistlike preheating mixture of oxygen, and fine suspended particles of liquid fuel such as gasoline, together with more or less vapor of the liquid, is formed in the torch and is discharged at the tip, entirely serviceable flames are produced, and that, for cutting, the time of preheating to bring the metal to kindling temperature'is short and thereafter clean and rapid cutting'can be accompllshe'd, without annoyance and delay caused by misbehavior of the flames. These advantages in respect to the The description and explanation of the construction, mode of operation and advantages of a torch such as shown'in Figs. 1 to 3 will aid in understanding the other illustrated embodiments of the invention, and repetition may be omitted.

In the torch construction shown'in Figs. 4-3, the primary atomizer and mixer 32 is in a body 12 close to the handle of the torch, whereas the secondary further illustration, the mixer 32 is shown as having an intei'nal construction somewhat different from that of the mixer 32. may be used in any of the torches.

Proceeding with the description of this embodiment, gasoline or some light liquid fuel readily flowable' through small pipes and passages (alcohol being another example,) from fills a distributing channel 38'} and, Il fills the chamber of the nozzle expelled through the. orifice 42-,

tube ii via ports 34', and is adjustable by of fuel. The

mixer 33 is in the head 22. Foriii) Either form liquid thus ejected and attenuated is encountered' by jets of oxygen introduced at various points around the side, through drilled metering ports 3|, preferably inclined, with a result generally similar to that described in connection with the primary mixer 32 of Figs. 1-3. This oxygen is present under pressure at the ports 3 I through the connection of theoxygen tube 25, by way of a duct 60, with a distributing channel 6i. The mixture of oxygen and atomized liquid flows through passage 43, which, here, is part of the nozzle unit, to a mixture pipe 21*, which leads to the head 22*.

This torch head receives secondary oxygen, for admixture with the first mixture, through an additional pipe 62. This pipe is supplied at the rear end by another duct 63 in the primary mixing body 12 communicating with the oxygen tube 25, this being another way of dividing the preheating oxygen in the torch.

The pipe 21* conducts its mixture, having less than the full complement of oxygen, to a duct 65 in the head 22. This duct keeps supplied a place it") at the mouth of a nozzle 41*, from which nozzle or orifice a jet of secondary oxygen strikes the mixture, and reducing its pressure, draws it into the throat passage 48- of the head, thus vaporizing liquid particles and completing the mixing. The mixture fills the distributing channel 10, which supplies the preheating passages of the tip. The chamber 5| back of the nozzle 41 and closed by a plug 50 is supplied with oxygen from the pipe 62, by way of a channel 66 (Fig. 6) in the torch head.

In a torch of the kind shown in Fig. 9, the second mixing is effected in the tip itself. The primary mixer 32 may be similar to the mixer 32 of Fig. 4 or to the mixer 32 of Figs. 1 and 2, and its location is preferably the same. The pipes and tubes 20, 62, 21*, 25 and ll" may be understood as being the same as the parts bearing like reference characters in Fig. ,4, The cutting oxygen supplied to the head of the torch through the pipe passes through a duct 61 to the rear end of the tip socket of the head and is delivered through the cutting jet passage 52' of the tip 48'. The primary mixture of oxygen and atomized or partially vaporized fuel is conducted by pipe 21* to a duct 68 in the head, this duct communicating with a distributing channel Ill formed in or between the head and the rear portion of the tip. At this region of the tip, narrow slots 12 are cut into the tip between fine jet passages 13 and throat passages H, the latter being at the rear ends of the preheating passages 53 of the tip. The jet passages 13 are supplied with secondary'preheating oxygen from the pipe 62, through a duct I5 in the head and a distributing channel 16 in the tip. The high pressure on this oxygen creates high velocity oxygen jets issuing from the jet passages 13, and these jets striking across the slots 12 reduce the pressure of the primary mixture and entrain it into, the throats ll of the preheating passages 53 thereby completing the-mixing and-by the reduction in pressure vaporizing some at least of the liquid of the fine liquid particles.

The tip selected for illustration in Fig. 9 is similar in construction to the tip disclosed in the- Walker Patent 1,624,377. In the present combination such a tipserves a somewhat different purpose, since instead ofv mixing oxygen and a fuel gas, it mixes additional oxygen with a mixture of oxygen and atomized liquid fuel already formed in the body of the torch, and-hasthe further function of vaporizing some of the material.

Still other forms in which the torches of the invention may be embodied, and with which the method may be carried out, will occur to those skilled in the art. Torches to which the invention relate may be designed to operate with gasoline or with other light liquid fuels;

A feature of the invention, affecting both the method and the apparatus, remains to be pointed out. I have found that it is very important that there be a sustained and relatively high velocity of the mixture stream of oxygen, finely divided liquid fuel and vapor from the point of atomization onward to the flame. If the velocity is materially slowed by too large passages or by so-called expansion chambers, small liquid particles tend to leave the stream, condense or adhere to the surfaces of the passages or chambers and agglomerate, forming accumulations which grow larger until the flowing mixture forces them out through the tip onto the hot metal, causing much disturbance both before and after the accumulations are discharged. Concretely, therefore, I keep the mixture passage as small as possible, and avoid any considerable enlargements on the way to the tip exit. In Fig. 1, it will be observed that thepassages 43 and 48 and the bore of the pipe 21 are such as to maintain the velocity of the mixture, and it will be understood that this condition obtains to and through the head and tip. In Figs. 4 and 9, likewise, the velocity of flow through the pipe 21* is maintained to the point of utilization. It would be difficult to specify dimensions and rates of flow applicable to various cases, but if the spaces through which the mist-like mixture is conducted to supply the working flame are kept small and still not so small as to create a great resistance to flow, the end will be attained.

- I claim:

1. The method of obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen, a stable, steady, metal-working torch-flame, which comprises supplying under high pressure a plurality of flows of oxygen the sum of which is that requisite to support combustion of the liquid fuel, supplying a flow of the liquid fuel, also under pressure, finely atomizing and mixing this flow with one of said oxygen flows, conducting the formed mixture, containing less than the full complement of oxygen, to another internal mixing region, and there intimately commingling said mixture with another of said oxygen flows, so'that by atomization and successive mixings with oxygen a final mixture in the nature of a uniform mist is produced to supply the working flame.

2. The methixl of obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen, a stable, steady, metal-working torch-flame, which comprises supplying under high pressure a plurality of flows of oxygen the sum of which is that requisite to support combustion of the liquid fuel, supplying a flow of the liquid fuel, also under pressure, atomizing this flow and injecting it into the center of one of said oxygen flows, conducting the resulting mixture through a passage, where the oxygen around the mixture stream shields the liquid particles from the surface, to another internal mixing region, there intimately commingling said mixture with another of said oxygen flows, and delivering the final mixture to the working flame.

3. The method of, obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen, a stable, steady, metal-working torch-flame, which comprises supplying under the liquid fuel, also under pressure, atomizingthis flow and injecting it into the center of one of said oxygen flows, conducting the resulting mixture through a passage, where the oxygen around the mixture stream shields the liquid particles fromthe surface, to another internal mixing region, there injecting another of said oxygen flows so as to induce vaporization by lowering of pressure, and by these steps producing a uniform mixture, in which the fuel is partly in the vapor phase and partly, in fine division, in the liquid phase, which mixture is delivered to the working flame.

4. The method of obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen, a stable, steady, metal-working,

torch-flame, which comprises supplying under high pressure a plurality of flows of oxygen the sum of which is that requisite to support combustion of the liquid fuel, supplying a fiow of the liquid fuel, also under pressure, finely atomizing and mixing this flow with one of said oxygen flows, conducting the formed mixture, containing less thanthe full complement of oxygen, to

another internal mixing region, there injecting another of said oxygen flows so as to induce'vaporizatlon by lowering of pressure, and conductv ing the final mixture to the tip outlet.

5. The method of obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen. a stable, steady; metal-working,- torchflame, which comprises atomizing the liquid fuel and mixing it with a portion of the oxygen to support combustion of the fueLSintroducing the balance of the combustion-supporting oxygen in a subsequent mixing stage, and maintaining a. ve-

iocity of the mixture stream from the point of atomization onward to the tip outlet sum'cient to keep liquid particles from depositing and'accumulating in'the passages. I t

6. The method of obtaining, with liquid fuel.

and oxygen, a stable, steady, metal-workin torch-flame, which comprises atomizing the liquid fuel and injecting it into the center of an oxygen stream constituting a portion of theoxygen to support combustion of the fuel, injecting another portion of the combustion-supporting o'rwgen as a.high-velocity pressure-lowering jet intothe first-formed; mixture; and maintaining, a velocity of the mixture stream from the point of atomization onward to the tip outlet sufilci'ent to keep liquid particles from depositing .and-accumulat- .ingin the passages. a 65- 'l. The method of obtaining, with liquid fuel and oxygen. a stable, steady, metal-working, torch-flame, which comprises atomizingthe liquid fuel injecting itintothe center of an oxygen stream constituting a portion of the oxygen to support combustion of the fuel, subsequently mixing the balance of the combustionsupporting oxysel with the first-formed mixture,

and maintaining a velocity of the mixture stream from the point of atomization onward to the'tip outlet sufiicient to keep liquid particles from depositing and accumulating in the pasages.

8. An oxygen liquid-fuel torch having two connections to receive oxygen and liquid fuel, re-

spectivelyuneans for dividing the oxygen stream .having connections to receive oxygen and liquid fuel, respectively, means for atomizing the liquid fuel and for mixing the atomized liquid with less than the amount of oxygen requisite for a balanced flame, a r

suiting primary mixture to another region, a secondary mixer including means at said region for injecting and intimately commingling with the e for conducting the re'- primary mixtifi'e of oxygen, vapor, and liquid 7 particles sufiicientadditional oxygen for a b'alanced flame, whereby a final mixture in the; nature of a uniform'mlst is produced,gand a passage for conducting 'such final mixture to the outlet extremity of the torch.

10. An omen-liquid-fuel metal-working torch having connections toreceive oxygen and liquid fuel, respectively, means for atomizing the liquid fuel and for mixing the atomized liquid with less than the amount of oxygen requisite for a balanced flame, the said means being so constructed -thatthe fuel is atomized into the center of an oxygen stream, a passage for conducting the resuiting primarymixture to another region, a. secondary mixture including means at said region 7 for injecting and intimately commingling with the primary mixture of oxygen, vapor, and liquid particles sufficient additional oxygen for a balanced fiam'e, whereby a final mixture in the naturelof a uniform mist is produced, and a e for conducting such final mixture to the outlet extremity of the torch.

'11. An oxygen-liquid-fuelmetal-working torch having connections to receive oxygen and liquid.

fuel,.respectively, means for atomizing the liquid fuel and for mixing the atomized liquid with less than, the amount of oxygen requisite for a'balanced flame, a. passage for conducting the resuiting primarymixture to another region, means for lowering the pressure of the resulting mixture by injecting in contact therewith sumcient additional oxygen for a balanced flame, and a passage for conducting the final mixture to the,

than the amount of oxygen requisite for a balanced flame, the said means being so constructed that the fuel is atomized into the center of an.

oxygen stream, a passage for conducting the resulting primary-mixture to another regiommeans for lowering the'pressure of the resulting mixture by injecting in contact therewith sufiicient additional'owgen for a balanced flame,v and a-paasage for conducting the mm mixture to the out- .letextremityofthetorch. 5

nowsnn 0.30am. 

